With the legislature back in town, Under the Dome is launching the Dome Memo, to give you a quick take on what happened in government that week.

If you've been busy, or simply weren't paying attention, this will be an easy way to catch up on what people are talking about in government and political circles.

It might be the latest on the budget, an update on a controversial bill or an assessment of how the governor fared. It may dip into what our congressional delegation is up to in D.C., or what the bureaucracy is doing in Raleigh.

Here's a quick taste:

POOL REPORT: U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan may need a fact-checker. After criticizing a "men-only" pool at the Senate, the Greensboro Democrat learned she was mistaken. The pool is open to female senators, but none use it. As Dome's former editor used to say, nothing ruins a good story like checking it out.

DRILLING DOWN: Have legislative leaders stacked the deck against drilling? A task force looking into offshore drilling has so many professors it could qualify as a faculty meeting. Industry representatives? Not so many. And a co-chair has already come out very publicly against drilling.

MUSICAL CHAIRS: On second thought, Gov. Beverly Perdue does want some say on the next state Democratic chair. Hoping to avoid a fight, Perdue stayed on the sidelines until coming out for former Buncombe County commissioner David Young earlier this week.

IN OTHER NEWS: Former Tar Heel James Taylor addressed attendees at the Eastern inaugural ball in Washington as "fellow Yankees," but he made up for it by getting them to sing along to "Carolina in My Mind." ... The legislature starts next today. Topic A will be the economy. There is no Topic B. ... Perdue has already dropped in on a state mental hospital and Department of Transportation workers. Probation officers might want to look busy for the next couple weeks. ... Some Dome readers have taken offense at the term "sin tax" for cigarettes and alcohol. For now, there are no state taxes on false idol worship, bearing false witness or adultery.

The chairs are set and the grits are warming.

The preparations are almost done for the N.C. Society's black-tie ball for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. 

The event will start at 8 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park, a tony hotel not far from the national zoo. 

Dome is here as part of a minimal press contingent operating under pretty strict restrictions on access. We will be allowed to talk to some of the 1,800 attendees as they arrive tonight, and we'll get to watch the presentation of the Congressional delegation.

Also, we have to leave at 10 p.m., two hours before the ball ends.

This is a huge contrast with the Junior League's inaugural ball for Gov. Beverly Perdue, where Dome and several colleagues were given a special media room and all-access passes throughout the Raleigh Convention Center.

James Taylor is sticking with his birthplace for the inauguration.

The North Carolina-bred singer will be performing at the Eastern Inaugural Ball at Union Station in Washington, D.C., Tuesday.

One of 10 official balls at which President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will make an appearance, the regional ball is for residents of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and their guests.

Taylor was born in Massachusetts, raised in Carrboro and now lives in the Berkshires. He performed a series of shows across North Carolina in support of Obama in October, and was invited to — but did not attend — Gov. Beverly Perdue's inauguration.

He also played at a star-studded concert at the Lincoln Memorial Sunday.

North Carolinians looking for fun on Tuesday will be across town at the National Guard Armory for the Southern Inaugural Ball. They will be listening to the Derek Trucks Band with Susan Tedeschi and the Wil Gravatt Band.

To add insult to injury, Liquid Pleasure of Chapel Hill will be the other entertainer at the Eastern ball.

No word yet on whether Taylor will play "Carolina In My Mind" in his set.

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler is taking his kids.

The Waynesville Democrat plans to walk to the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama with his wife, son Navy and daughter Island.

Later in the day, he'll attend the Southern States Ball, one of the larger official events, according to spokesman Andrew Whalen. The ball will be held at the National Guard Armory.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge will go to the inauguration with his family.

The Lillington Democrat plans to attend the swearing-in ceremony for President-elect Barack Obama with his wife, Faye; son, Brian; and daughter-in-law Meredith.

Afterward, the family will watch the inaugural parade. 

He also plans to attend the North Carolina Society's inaugural ball Monday night and the Southern Ball Tuesday night.

Previously: Rep. Brad Miller's and Sen. Kay Hagan's plans. 

Sen. Kay Hagan will attend the inauguration with her husband.

The Greensboro Democrat said that she will walk for about a mile and half to get to the swearing-in ceremony for President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday.

"You better believe I'm going to be bundled up," she said, noting the recent cold snap in Washington. "I do have a seat (but) I don't think there's going to be heaters next to it."

Hagan said that she will also attend the North Carolina Society's ball on Monday and the Southern Ball on Tuesday with her husband, who is driving up this weekend.

She added that her son and two daughters, who all campaigned vigorously for her, are back in college and will not be with her for the inauguration.

"They were all up here for my swearing-in," she said. "They'll watch it on TV."

At least one dog made it to inaugural ball tonight.

Retired Army Sgt. Jeffrey Cooper brought his three-year-old Chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier mix Gabby, who sat on a leopard print blanket on his lap as he rode in a wheelchair around Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue's ball.

Cooper, who has suffered from multiple sclerosis and various other ailments since serving in the Gulf War, had Gabby certified as a working dog after she became agitated shorty before he had a seizure.

"I get a metallic taste in my mouth before I get a seizure, and she can sense it before I can," he said.

Cooper is a die-hard at inaugural balls. He said he's attended every one since 1981. 

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue, in red, greets Secretary of State Elaine Marshall as schools superintendent June Atkinson looks on at her inaugural ball on June 9, 2009. (Photo by Robert Willett)

Despite his years of activism, Jerry Meek has only been to one other inaugural ball.

The outgoing head of the N.C. Democratic Party said he got tickets to a breakfast at former Gov. Jim Hunt's 1997 inauguration.

Then a law student, Meek said he got a late-night phone call from Sen. Tony Rand, who offered to pay the $1,000-ticket price if Meek could find a date by the next morning.

Meek said he was enjoying meeting up with all the other activists at the inaugural ball.

"It's kind of like a family reunion," he said.

For now, Meek's been staying on the sidelines of another bit of political fun going on right now: The fight for his successor. But he said that will change.

"I think you'll find another candidate will announce tomorrow who will have widespread state support, including my own," he said.

Fashion Note: Meek's wife, Tricia Cotham, was wearing a black Jessica McClintock ballroom gown her aunt had (prematurely, as it turned out) tailored for her to wear to the Kerry-Edwards inauguration.

A few moments from Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue inaugural ball tonight:

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler was the only member of the delegation on his flight from D.C. He has a 4-year-old daughter, Island, so a female governor has special significance.

"That means my daughter can do anything she sets her mind to."

*****

State Rep. Alice Graham Underhill was showing around her niece, 20-year-old Grace Ann Brooks, a junior studying communication at N.C. State University.

She attended an inaugural as an infant in 1989 when her grandfather, then-Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Graham, was sworn in.

*****

Labor Comissioner Cherie Berry's three daughters were in town from Charlotte; Toledo, Ohio; and D.C. She wore her grandmother's crystal necklace and earrings.

There are still 2 Republicans on the Council of State, with Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

"We can still get a second to a motion," she joked.

*****

Mecklenburg County Commissioners Jennifer Roberts and Harold Cogdell drove up for the festivities.

Perdue's Republican opponent last year was Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.

"We thought it was important to open a new channel with the governor's office." Cogdell said.

— Mark Johnson